Hiking to Chiavari

We caught the bus into Rapallo, rather than tackling the horrible busy road. Then we walked to the cable car station to go up the mountain to Montallegro. The cable car looked old, but thankfully ran very smoothly.

We passed the magnificent Santuario Basilica Nostra Signora di Montallegro, then took an ancient mule track along the Ligurian long distance footpath. The views over Rapallo and the Portofino coast were stunning, and the path was very pretty, through the dappled shade of old Holm Oaks.

We passed a small restaurant perched on the mountainside, with lots of cats roaming around but, sadly, it was too soon to stop for a break. We continued on through the forest until we found a viewpoint to stop and eat our croissants.

From here, we could see all the way along the ridge that we were following, dropping gradually to the coast. After a while, I got fed up of walking through forests, especially when we’d had no views for a while and the terrain was rougher.

The difficult section didn’t last too long before the path got easier again and we came to farmland with olives and vines and views of the Gulf of Tigullio and our destination, Chiavari.

Finally, we came across a couple of hamlets before heading downhill to Chiavari, often on steep steps. The trail was lovely and quiet and we only saw 3 other people in 3 hours. There were a few hazards to negotiate though. We saw a hunter with a rifle slung across his back and heard gunshots in the distance; we almost trod on a couple of small snakes basking on the path in the sunshine, and sweet chestnuts acted as marbles below our feet or fell from the branches above us!

Down in the medieval part of the town, we wandered through the suburbs until we reached the Piazza Mazzini. We explored the arcaded streets and stopped for a cold beer, before walking along the promenade for an ice cream.

The town was calm and peaceful… much less hectic than Rapallo. We decided to visit Zoagli on our way back to the campsite, which I’d read was very pretty.

From Zoagli railway station, we walked along a path that ran around the cliffs along the seashore, just above the waves. It was beautiful and the sea looked very inviting, so I was a bit sad that we hadn’t packed our swimming stuff.

Finally, we caught the bus back to the campsite. It’s been yet another great day. We’re really enjoying Italy.